Strength and the Journey

We often hear people say they want to “tone up” or “burn more calories”, but very rarely do you hear someone say the solution to their goal is strength. This piece came from an article on Cressey Performance. Strength helps you in everything you do.If you want to get faster, strength will help you. If you want to get more powerful, strength will help you. If you want to lose body fat, strength will help you. One of the main things we hear as strength and conditioning coaches is, “I want to get faster and be more explosive.” While plyometric drills certainly have their place in programs (and we use them quite a bit at CSP), often, the client needs to gain strength first before they are able to express that speed and power. So, before you ditch a strength day to go run a 5k, think twice! I was thinking the other day about how people are always rushing. Rushing to the gym. Rushing to pick the kids up. Rushing to the meeting. Our days are often filled to overflowing and our time is spread thin. This mindset of surging through life at full speed affects our movements in the gym as well. It’s not always about how fast you can get from point A to point B….often times it’s HOW you get there. What I’m saying isn’t rocket science. It’s not innovative. It’s just something we don’t do and often times take for granted. Getting 15 Deadlifts done faster than everyone else in class doesn’t mean you got a good workout in. Ask yourself why you began the journey. Did you begin so that you can be the fastest person in the 5pm on a Tuesday OR….Did you begin to get strong, fit, and balanced? Rushing through Olympic lifts, just to “get them out of the way” isn’t making you better. Doing perfect pushups in the warm up and then throwing all that technique out the window come 3,2,1…GO! Doesn’t make you a good athlete. It’s practicing PERFECT form that will make you better. You will see the gains, the improvements, and the results. Moral of the story – make sure you aren’t just getting through your workouts like a Monday morning meeting. Enjoy your time. Learn. Practice it. Get better every day.